Winters coming

[Paul]

And yet again I'm beefing up the car cold weather kit and first aid kit for winter.

Cold injuries can hit us all in every sort of outside activity so I'd like to share this load of information with you:-

DISCLAIMER:
I am not a medical professional.
You must check with a qualified person that the information I have written is correct.
I shall not be held responsible as you should have checked before using any of the methods listed below.

This is a list of cold injuries and basic treatment from various sources round the Internet.

Cold or Chilled Skin
Your skin feels normal, but painful and red.
First Aid, get out of the cold and any wet clothing.
Carefully dry the area, elevate the limb covering it with loose warm clothing and warm it with natural body heat.
DON’T SCRATCH.

Frost Nip
Your skin has a little sensation, and feels waxy with the top layer hard or rubbery.
The deeper tissue is still soft, and it looks white.
First Aid, Immerse the affected area in warm water 37.5 Celsius (100 F) to thaw out the frozen tissue.
If you can’t use hot water, then use body heat.
DON’T RUB THE SKIN.
Never use heat pads or stoves / fireplaces.
Heating has to be slow and gentle and all over.
CAUTION:
The skin is VERY susceptible to refreezing for at least 24 hours.

Frostbite
Your skin feels numb, it feels numb and wooden and frozen to the bone. It also looks waxy and white.

THIS IS EXTREMELY HARD TO TREAT IN THE FIELD.
IF YOU CAN, GET TO A HOSPITAL.

Do not let the skin touch anything cold or hot.
Treatment of frostbite is re-warming / thawing the affected tissue.
Only rewarm if you can keep warm.
If you re-freeze a frost-bitten limb, the damage will be much worse.
NEVER RUB OR MASSAGE FROZEN SKIN.

Warming can be done in two ways:

Using body heat or a warm room temperature to aid the person’s body in re-warming itself.
Wrap the whole body up in blankets not just the frozen bit.

Active re-warming warms the injured tissue as quickly as possible without burning.
The faster things are warmed, the less damage.
Use a warm water bath between 40-42 Celsius (104-108 F).

CAUTION.
The core body temperature may drop and cause heart failure.
Dead tissue may need surgical intervention.

I REPEAT, IF YOU CAN GET TO A HOSPITAL DON’T TRY TO TREAT THIS INJURY.

Freezing of Cornea.
Caused by forcing the eyes open during strong freezing winds without goggles.,
First Aid, Place a warm hand or compress over the closed eye. After re-warming the eyes must be completely covered with patches for 24 – 48 hours.

Eyelashes freezing together
First Aid, Put a warm hand over your eye until the ice melts.

Snow blindness.
Most symptoms occur 8-12 hours after exposure.
Eyes feel dry, irritated, full of sand, moving or blinking becomes painful, ANY light hurts, your eyelids may swell, your eyes will redden and stream.
First Aid, is cold compresses and a dark environment until pain stops.
Do not rub your eyes.
Prevent by wearing full wrap round POLARIZED sun glasses.

Constipation
This is a common condition in a cold environment.
First Aid, is drink plenty of water to prevent dehydration.

Chapped lips
These are caused by a loss of moisture in lip skin.
First Aid, Cover your mouth, don’t lick your lips, drink lots, don’t smoke, stay off coffee and alcohol, and use a lip salve like Vaseline to keep the natural moisture in.

Trench Foot.
Caused by long immersion in water or damp socks.
More Than 6 hours does permanent damage,
More Than 24 hours equals possible loss of a foot.
First Aid, Don’t walk on it. Treat by careful washing and drying of the feet, gentle re-warming and slight elevation. Change into dry socks and boots. NEVER let your boots freeze.

[Metroyeti]

If your in a sleeping bag,clean your boots and put them in your sleeping bag.

Nice post.

[Smudge]

Ref frost nip: If no warm water is availble a dab of olive oil rubbed over the effected area and warming next to the body such as underarm pits or between legs will do the trick.

[Paul]

(28 September 2012, 17:41)Metroyeti Wrote: If your in a sleeping bag,clean your boots and put them in your sleeping bag.

Nice post.

You're welcome.
That's also why I've got an extra long sleeping bag and a Goretex stuff sack for my boots.
Bit posh I know but I also carry in the sack a shoe brush and a little tin of Dubbin.
Take care of the leather and the leather takes care of you.

[Metroyeti]

If its really cold, overheating is a big issue. Your wearing so many layers there is a risk it could happen.

[bigpaul]

wear the appropriate clothing for the season/weather, i have noticed that while we had the sunny weather all the "lumpunt" women around here are going around in their strappy tops with all the flesh on show but as soon as the weather changed they are now wearing great thick coats! talk about from the sublime to the ridiculous, i bet their all hot and sweaty...ugh not a pretty thought.

[Hrusai]

random tip from my slovene half, when outside in the snow and winteryness and your hands get really cold rather than sticking your hands under the warm water tap (which will turn your hands red and make them tingle and feel funny) stick them under the cold tap first, sounds nonsensical but essentially your warming your hands up more gradually which is both more comfortable and better for your circulation.....seriously next time your hands are purple from bein outside or playing with the snow then try it! i been doing it since i was a little kid

[bigpaul]

if our hands got cold we would warm them up by sticking them between our legs!!

[Skean Dhude]

or even better someone prettier.

[bigpaul]

(20 October 2012, 19:08)Skean Dhude Wrote: or even better someone prettier.

that wouldnt be difficult(to find)!